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Did you know that Mercer Botanic Gardens offers more than stunning garden views? Behind the scenes, Mercer has a thriving research center boasting a growing collection of pressed and dried plant samples, known to botanists as a herbarium.
Mercer’s herbarium collection started in 1986 and is now located at the Mercer Botanical Center on Titlelist Drive just across Cypress Creek. As of this year, Mercer’s herbarium includes more than 50,000 plant specimens on long-term loan from the Spring Branch ISD Science

Mercer Botanic Gardens is proud to announce that the botanical library at Mercer Botanical Center is now open by appointment, thanks to volunteers and staff members who helped restore the library after Hurricane Harvey.

Shakespeare’s famous for his colorful characters and timeless themes, but plant-lovers have another reason to love him: the Shakespeare gardens he created and immortalized.
From the lovingly restored historical gardens of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon Avon estate to the seasonal wonders of New York’s Central Park, Shakespeare gardens have steadily gained popularity throughout Europe and the United States since the 1900s. These cottage-style or formal gardens feature plants and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays and grown in Shakespeare's private garden.